Advanced Nutrients Big Bud Powder

looks tasty.

Yes it does, was inspecting it more today with the lights on...buds are so ready, crystally caked....can't wait...Monday is the day, could let her ripen another week...what do you think?

Superskunk is done....coming down tonight.

You might want to wait another day or two for the deficiency of flush to set in a bit more some of those leaves look pretty dark still. Also it could be do to flash but are trichromes beginning to go amber at all?

I had to harvest a bunch of mine early, I was sad because they never had the chance to fill out properly. Better to harvest now then to let the whole lot go.

GreedAndVanity said:

You might want to wait another day or two for the deficiency of flush to set in a bit more some of those leaves look pretty dark still. Also it could be do to flash but are trichromes beginning to go amber at all?

I had to harvest a bunch of mine early, I was sad because they never had the chance to fill out properly. Better to harvest now then to let the whole lot go.

Click to expand...

Huh...good eyes.

I'll have to watch out for this in mine too.

Overall, this grow really was a good one though. Thanks for sharing this!!!!!!

GreedAndVanity said:

You might want to wait another day or two for the deficiency of flush to set in a bit more some of those leaves look pretty dark still. Also it could be do to flash but are trichromes beginning to go amber at all?

I had to harvest a bunch of mine early, I was sad because they never had the chance to fill out properly. Better to harvest now then to let the whole lot go.

Click to expand...

Well I haven't cut her, been too lazy...so no biggie...but I haven't been waiting for the amber to set in....just be going off what site says for flower time.....with this girl, I'll experiment and wait till I see amber...

I mean, my NYCD went 70 days....to me she wasnt amber when I harvested, now when i opened a nug, trichromes inside are amber.....

blazingtimes said:

Huh...good eyes.

I'll have to watch out for this in mine too.

Overall, this grow really was a good one though. Thanks for sharing this!!!!!!

Click to expand...

Will keep pics coming of her...

Well momma NYCD is dried...now curing...she yielded 7oz's of cerebral medication!!!!!! So nice....

I am still letting superskunk go...no amber that I can see, will snap pics when lights are off....too bright right now

At the first signs of amber is a pretty good time. If the glands are milky I dont notice any heavy feelings really, it remains fairly up. Once barely amber it makes me want to sit and talk. Once amber has really set in it makes me want to watch TV and not relate with people.

Ok, thats what I figured and have read....amber is more to the body where milky is head......

I still have the superskunk going, haven't cut her yet.....I would like to see her a little amber....

But seriously does the color really make that much of a difference? I mean all the commercial I buy is full amber....like this headband....but its a stone in the head not body....

I mean genetics have more to do with the effect, no? Sativa vs. Indica...stone or high

I guess I am looking at the trichrome color more as a "kicker"?

Great info on Trichome's

When to harvest your trichomes
There are several schools of thought as to when it is the time to harvest. I shall attempt to explain how you can determine the harvesting time that will produce the most favorable psychoactive effect for your individual preferences.

We are most concerned with the capitate-stalked trichomes, as these contain the overwhelming majority of the psychoactive cannabinoids (THC, THCV, CBN). Different cannabinoids affect the high in a multifaceted manner.


THC:
delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol & delta-8-tetrahydrocannabinol - THC mimics the action of anandamide, a neurotransmitter produced naturally in the body, which binds with the cannabinoid receptors in the brain to produce the ‘high’ associated with marijuana. THC possesses high UV-B (280-315 nm) absorption properties.

THCV:
tetrahydrocannabivarin - prevalent in certain South African and Southeast Asian strains of cannabis. It is said to produce a ‘clearer high’ & seems to possess many of the therapeutic properties of THC.

CBD:
cannabidiol - previously believed to be psychoactive, or to contribute to the high by interacting with other cannabinoids, conversely the most recent research indicates that CBD has negligible effect on the high, it is however a strong anti-inflammatory, and may take the edge off some THC effects, such as anxiety. CBD as a non-psychoactive cannabinoid appears to be helpful for many medical conditions. CBD biosynthesizes into cannabinol (CBN) & tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).

CBN:
cannabinol - a degradation product of THC, produces a depressant effect, ‘fuzzy’ forehead.

CBC:
cannabichromene - non-psychoactive , a precursor to THC.

CBG:
cannabigerol - non-psychoactive, hemp strains often posses elevated levels of CBG while possessing only trace amounts of THC.

Heavy trichome production is not necessarily an indication of a potent plant. Some hemp strains have moderate layers of trichomes yet pack only a strong headache. In a drug strain, a thick layer of trichomes is a symbol that it may well posses an elevated potency level, but it is certainly not a guarantee.

What defines a cannabis drug strain is the plant's ability to produce THC & THCV.

A small 25x or stronger pocket microscope, which can be picked up inexpensively at an electronics store like Radio Shack, works well for getting a closer peek at your trichome development. We are examining are the capitate stalked glandular trichomes, the coloration of these gland heads can vary between strains and maturity. Most strains start with clear or slightly amber heads which gradually become cloudy or opaque when THC levels have peaked and are beginning to degrade. Regardless of the initial color of the secretory cavity, with careful observation you should be able to see a change in coloration as maturity levels off.

Some cultivators wait for about half of the secretory cavities to go opaque before harvesting, to ensure maximum THC levels in the finished product. Of course nothing tells the truth more than your own perception, so try samples at various stages to see what is best for you & the phenotype your are growing. While you may be increasing the total THC level in the bud by allowing half of the glands to go opaque, the bud will also have a larger percentage of THC breakdown products such as CBN, which is why some people choose to harvest earlier while most of the secretory cavities are still clear.

Indica varieties will usually have a 10-15 day harvest window to work with. Sativas and Indica/Sativa hybrids often have an extended period to work with.

Although cannabis resin glands called trichomes are structurally diverse, they come in three basic varieties:


Bulbous:
The bulbous type is the smallest (15-30 micron). From one to four cells make up the "foot" and "stalk," and one to four cells make up the "head" of the gland. Head cells secrete a resin - presumably cannabinoids, and related compounds which accumulate between the head cells and the cuticle. When the gland matures, a nipple-like protrusion may form on the membrane from the pressure of the accumulating resin. The bulbous glands are found scattered about the surfaces of the above-ground plant parts.

Capitate-Sessile:
The second type of gland is much larger & is more numerous than the bulbous glands. They are called capitate, which means having a globular-shaped head. On immature plants, the heads lie flush, appearing not to have a stalk and are called capitate sessile. They actually have a stalk that is one cell high, although it may not be visible beneath the globular head. The head is composed of usually eight, but up to 16 cells, that form a convex rosette. These cells secrete cannabinoids, and related compounds which accumulate between the rosette and it's outer membrane. This gives it a spherical shape. The gland measures from 25 to 100 micron across.

Capitate-Stalked:
Cannabinoids are most abundant in the capitate-stalked gland which consists of a tier of secretory disc cells subtending a large non-cellular secretory cavity. During flowering the capitate glands that appear on the newly formed plant parts take on a third form. Some of the glands are raised to a height of 150 to 500 micron when their stalks elongate. These capitate-stalked glands appear during flowering and form their densest cover on the female flower bracts. They are also highly concentrated on the small leaves that accompany the flowers. The male flowers have stalked glands on the sepals, but they are smaller and less concentrated than on the female bracts. Male flowers form a row of very large capitate glands along the opposite sides of anthers.




Disc cells, attached to leaf or bract by stipe cells (RED) & basal cells (GREEN), release fibrillar wall matrix into secretory cavity where it contributes to thickening of subcuticular wall during enlargement of secretory cavity. Plastids (ORANGE) in disc cells produce secretions called lipoplasts which synthesize quantities of lipophilic substances that accumulate outside the plasma membrane, migrating into the endoplasmic reticular cytoplasm and through the plasma membrane and cell wall into the secretory cavity where they form vesicles (BLUE) in the secretory cavity. Vesicles in contact with the subcuticular wall release contents that contribute to the growth of the cuticle during the enlargement of the secretory cavity. THC occurs in the walls, fibrillar matrix & other contents surrounding the vesicles, but not in the vesicles. Trace amounts of THC is present in the disc cells

drop said:

Generally, trichomes turn amber after harvest no matter what. So if you take it down when it's clear or milky or whatever, they will likely develop amber hues as they dry and/or cure.

Who knows when the commercial you bought was harvested.

Early in flower, damaged trichomes can turn amber while everything else is clear.

Some strains do not turn amber on the tree unless the plant is let go until it starts to decay and even then the amber is not very pronounced.

Earlier in this thread you commented about plant size and yield.

If plant count is consistent, bigger plants yield more than smaller plants based purely on root mass. Big plants take more veg time, more lighting power to properly finish and are harder to manage in terms of osmotic pressure/root zone pH etc.

Higher plant count with shorter plants will equal or exceed your current yield with way less veg time. In a period of a year, you would yield more than with your current setup.

Quality wise, 2x400W do not penetrate far enough to run big plants in the way you do. When Jorge wrote 3x400W are better than 1x1000W, he was referring to short plants.

Some of the pictures you posted earlier in the thread of your "big" plants show inter-nodal stretch. This can be a result of too little light and wrong spectrum. It can also be nutrient related.

Keep the ppm/ec higher to limit inter-nodal extension. This'll give you shorter plants and allow you to make better use of your 2x400W but the important benefit is tight internodes. You would be way better off using MH bulbs until 3.5 wks into flower. Switch to HPS at around week 4. Or don't. Who cares.

Arguing AN is better than another nute company is a waste of time. The new pH Perfect concept looks interesting b/c chelated minerals are available at a way broader range of pH values than what is currently available. GH uses a few chelated micros but that's it. If AN really does launch nutes with ALL elements in chelated form that is theoretically fucking awesome.

On the other hand is really going to make that much of a difference? Growers who don't know what the pH is in their root zone are probably fucking up their yield and quality in tons of other ways that the better nutrient availability of chelated nutrients (b/c pH lockout is now less of a concern) can really over come.

Click to expand...

I have noticed that about trichs....they amber on cure....so its better to harvest while THC is most potent...unless you want more CBN....my superskunk looks like she's on her last leg, but the buds are sexy...she is still milky...gonna cut her within the next day or so.

For the Record, I have 3 400W Super Blue MH for veg. They sit about 3 feet above the plants...its pretty damn bright....room is 10X8...
Flower is 3 400 watt Super HPS. My plants move to the floor when they go 12 12. Room is about 10 X 10.

Ok, its nutrients and my ppm that may be causing internodal stretching...during veg, I shy on the conservative side to not nute burn, etc....

Now, my NYCD I harvested was huge, she gave me 7ozs....that pheno of the NYCD has very short inter nodal stretching.....very nice.

I have made a switch to KoolBloom....going to try this on this batch and see....

I do want shorter inter-nodal stetching......going to try with increased ppm first...I drip irrigate so higher concentration should be ok....

If that doesn't work, then I will get light mounts so I can lower the lights while their young.....

Also, I have tweaked my flower setup....I re-pot into larger pots when they move 12 12....I use Happy Frog Organic soil. This boost of fresh nutes and microbes will only help with yield...not to mention the roots can now grow as well...my veg pots I am getting root bound....

Pheno type has a lot to do with it...I have 3 lemon ice's flowering, the oldest is a snake and true Sativa pheno with huge internodal stretching....the other two initially had internodal stretching but it ceased as they veg'd out...a lot tighter now.... look more bushy...

Here is the superskunk...I am taking her down tomorrow...all her hairs are pretty much orange...still milky...not ambery......

Oh AN changed their sensi bloom formula.....dropped Molybednum or whatever...added chelated micro's now....Iron too, I don't have to use CalMag anymore....

Tw3nti3ight said:

Thanks! Appreciate it.

Click to expand...

yea great growing man ! any chance of a bit of advise? started with the sensi bloom 2 part and introduced bigbud liquid ! i have canna pk 13-14 for a boost later but im growing in soil and worried about using the sensibloom as people say only for hydro ! any chance of telling me a good base feed for my plants? any advise is apreciated cheers dude!

LIAMGREENFINGER said:

yea great growing man ! any chance of a bit of advise? started with the sensi bloom 2 part and introduced bigbud liquid ! i have canna pk 13-14 for a boost later but im growing in soil and worried about using the sensibloom as people say only for hydro ! any chance of telling me a good base feed for my plants? any advise is apreciated cheers dude!

Click to expand...

Thank you!

I use a 20 gallon reservoir for my nute soup. I use AN Sensi Bloom 2 part as well. For boost, I switched to GH KoolBloom dry for this set of girls...

People may say they are only for hydro, however, I am not having any issues at all with hydro nutes dripped into my soil.....AN makes organic tea's now...I may switch next batch and try those to be fully organic....

20 gallon reservoir, I use 1.5 cups of AN SensiBloom to start. After they transition and bud, I then go to 2 cups. I have drip irrigation that waters every 6 hours for 10 minutes.....I use to do the watering can, etc, when the soil is dry...yields were shitty so I added the irrigation and quality has improved immensly....

My friend before he passed, was in hydro using AN nutes....I saw his yield and was amazed...granted Hydro is different than soil....but you can tap the plant to its full potential if you are creative .

Keep it simple...it is a plant, it needs same nutes as other plants etc...it is all a N P K game....

You really have to find what works best for you and your setup.....it was all trial and error for me...Hope this helps, if you have any more questions, etc. Let me know!

Here are my 2 NYCD's veggin and waiting for their turn to flower....this pheno has tight internodes...